[jlisenbe]

If you say so.

It's not what I say so. It's the reality of the deal. There was nothing illegal done, at least not according to the news stories.

[talaniman]

Sometimes you don't know if it's COMPLETELY legal until you look deeper. I know arms were twisted, and the rich guys who put the deal together will never admit to something untoward, but we'll see what happens when a mob boss gets his foot in the door of our business. Or how the wheels were greased to get the deal done by lifting sanctions. I've been following this story for a while and no I don't trust any of the players.

"Trust but VERIFY"/Ronald Reagan about the Russians.

[jlisenbe]

It does pay to be cautious.

[Athos]

Moscow Mitch has his hands dirty with this deal. Drop sanctions in return for 200 mill investment in his home state. Bone-spur Donald and Moscow Mitch are two of a pair.

[talaniman]

Don't forget the campaign contributions from rich business guys who are going to reap a fortune. Hmm! Both are up for re election.

[paraclete]

Back to the OP. Trump has now moved to pressure US companies to find alternatives to doing business with China, so what are the alternatives? Vietnam, Pakistan, India, but China is moving into Africa so will they be worried? There is a far larger market for their cheap goods in Africa and they are far more advanced in developing such markets. So Trump won't hasten the demise of Chinese industry he may actually advance it and these are markets the US has little possibility of capturing

[tomder55]

In another OP I said Trump doesn't have the authority .That was not correct . The

International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977( IEEPA) gives him broad powers over the economy. It is a decision that could lead to disaster .

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-u...iDyEPA0Tdb2V9k

[paraclete]

a Trump led recession, it makes me depressed

[talaniman]

He has already blamed everybody else just in case it arrives before he can be re elected.

[tomder55]

yes it will be self inflicted with his trade wars and his silly obsession to bring the dollar value down . Yes and yesterday he basically called Fed Chair Jerome Powell a bigger enemy than China .The thing is that if Trump persists in forcing a recession then he will get his wish because the Fed will have no choice but to weaken the dollar .

[Athos]

yesterday he basically called Fed Chair Jerome Powell a bigger enemy than China

Trump daily abuses his pick for Fed Chairman for not lowering interest rates.

Trump's company is about half a billion dollars in debt. Lowering interest rates would save him millions in repayments. Another use of using his presidency for his own gain. He cares not a whit for his country.

[talaniman]

What if China puts a tariff on some of the dufus family products, like ties and lingerie?

[tomder55]

that would be a silly thing since a good % of Trump merchandize is made in China. Let's be honest . Trump merchandize is made to fill the racks at Trump Hotels . It is gravy and not a crucial part of the Trump business.

[talaniman]

So when is he going to find an alternative other than China like he told the other business guys to do? I thought you were so big on calling out hypocrisy?

[paraclete]

So when is he going to find an alternative other than China like he told the other business guys to do? I thought you were so big on calling out hypocrisy?

Trump doesn't need to find an alternative, business has been doing this for a long time without his help, and his business can switch any time it likes. The Hypocrisy of Trump is he knows he is hurting his own but his ego won't allow him to quit. One can only hope the american people make a sensible decision at the ballot box, but much damage will be done before then

[tomder55]

One can only hope the american people make a sensible decision at the ballot box,

which loon running do you think would be better ?

[talaniman]

Whomever emerges as the dem nominee would be who I voted for. Don't know who Clete favors. The main goal is get rid of the dufus, and Moscow Mitch.

[tomder55]

The trade dispute, though, is now about much more than economics—it’s testing whether a democratically elected government can prevail in the face of the authoritarian government of the world’s most populous country. And everyone who values democracy or human rights should hope that, one way or another, the United States ultimately prevails in that struggle...……….

If the U.S. is ultimately perceived to have lost the trade conflict, the leaders of democracies around the world will take notice. They will learn that confronting Beijing risks provoking a campaign of democratic destabilization—one that was successful elsewhere. They will need to weigh that risk against the potential rewards. China could point to the U.S. trade conflict to remind democracy’s leaders of this peril. And if any such leaders defiantly forged ahead, Beijing could draw on a playbook sharpened from its U.S. experience.

China’s victory, then, would bring about a world in which democracies are enfeebled and the largest autocracy is emboldened.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/ar...mocracy/596248

[paraclete]

which loon running do you think would be better ?

Too soon to know, but one loon is not as good as another

[talaniman]

If there is a Chinese victory we can only blame the dufus and expose another lie about his negotiating skills which so far has been short sighted and incompetent as well as costly. The silence of repubs is deafening, in a sycophantic way, and we all see that as the antics of the last 3 years is a testament America doesn't always get it right, and be it in 2020, or 2024 there will be a helluva mess to clean up. Like you blame libs for Obama, why can't we blame conservatives for the Dufus?

I'll go further and just add that the conservative coalition is the bigger threat to democracies everywhere rather than any dictator on Earth in modern times. They have destroyed the common sense CONSENSUS to deal with the real issues of our times. It's the zombie apocalypse I tell YA!